Many remote controls for entertainment devices include a feature that detects a low battery condition and alerts the user of the low battery condition. For example, a remote control for a satellite television receiver may detect that the battery powering the remote control only has 10% of its usable life left. The remote control may communicate the low battery condition to the satellite television receiver, and the receiver may present an indicator to a user regarding the low battery condition. Thus, the user may take action to replace the batteries to avoid experiencing a subsequent dead battery in the remote control.
Remote controls communicate the low battery condition to a receiver or other type of entertainment device by transmitting a unique key code or message that indicates the low battery condition. A remote control typically transmits the unique key code on every button press upon which a low battery condition is detected. The entertainment device utilizes the received key code to determine whether to present a low battery indicator to a user. However, the repeated transmission of low battery key codes requires power to be drawn from the battery, further reducing the life of the battery in the remote control.